Eight doesn’t seem like a lot, but eight cases of hepatitis C virus in Duluth caught the attention of state health officials.

“Duluth
actually is an area we’ve been looking at for a little while,” said
Kristin Sweet, hepatitis unit supervisor for the Minnesota Department of
Health.

Nationwide,
officials have noticed a rise in the potentially dangerous, chronic
liver disease. The focus is on two groups: baby boomers, some of whom
may have had the virus for years without knowing it; and people younger
than 30, a group whose size seems to be increasing along with the recent
increase in heroin use.